


we're circling victory

by Rehearsal_Dweller



Series: did they bust up your brains or something? [3]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:59:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23215900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehearsal_Dweller/pseuds/Rehearsal_Dweller
Summary: "Are we?""What?""Friends.""We could be."In which Katherine Plumber watches a revolution unfold and a friend fall apart.
Relationships: David Jacobs & Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Jack Kelly/Katherine Plumber
Series: did they bust up your brains or something? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673425
Comments: 10
Kudos: 62





	we're circling victory

**Author's Note:**

> This pairs with "Something No One's Even Tried" and "the poor guy's head is spinning," and will likely make more sense if you've read those (particularly tpghis). There will likely be one more short in this series, which I might actually connect as a series at some point lol.
> 
> This one's Katherine's POV, spanning from around Watch What Happens to the day after the strike ends (it includes one scene from snoet from her pov and then overlaps tpghis). It's much more about Kath's relationship with Davey and her observation of the boys' than hers with Jack, since a lot of _that_ plays out onstage/screen.

“I’m just a blowhard; _Davey’s_ the brains.”

“Modesty is not a quality I would’ve expected from you, Jack Kelly.”

The exchange she’d had with Jack is ringing in Katherine’s ears as she starts her article. Her instinct is to set Jack up as the sole strike leader, despite his own words, but then she remembers the way the other boy – the one who must be Davey, though they’d played fast and loose with introductions – stood tense and defensive and serious when Jack was still making jokes. No, she thinks, that wasn’t just Jack being modest.

It was Jack being honest.

She doesn’t fully understand what it means until the next morning, when she arrives at the circulation gate in time to watch Jack and Davey rally their dejected troops when no support has come. The first thing she notices about the two of them is that, as partners, they’re _seamless_. Where Jack is explosive and eye catching and an obvious rallying point, Davey is soft spoken and easily missed in a crowd. But Jack defers to Davey when it comes to quiet words of motivation. Jack’s speeches are loud and rough around the edges and punctuated with glances back at his partner between sentences for confirmation. Davey moves from boy to boy with an earnest look on his face and a serious tone; clearly his inclination is to one-on-one conversation, leaving the showy stuff to Jack.

Katherine makes sure to get Davey’s full name before she takes off to finish her story.

She misses the riot.

(She would’ve been useless in the middle of the fighting; the best thing she can do for those boys is get their story into people’s ears.)

_Jack Kelly stands tall in front of the Manhattan newsies, the face of a generation, but he does not stand alone. No one person could lead this charge. And if Jack Kelly is the face of a generation, then his partner David Jacobs is its voice._

She buys a copy of the paper as soon as it’s printed and hunts the boys down. They’re out selling again, so she doesn’t catch up with them until midday. She’s hoping rather despite herself that Jack will be there, and why wouldn’t he be? Sure, yesterday didn’t go quite to plan, but surely he’ll be at the restaurant trying to bolster his friends’ spirits.

As soon as Katherine sees Davey’s face, she knows Jack isn’t here. He looks terrible – tired and anxious and bruised. She’s heard that one boy was arrested, not Jack, and that the rest of the boys were beaten pretty badly but this –

This is worse than she was expecting.

All she can think to do is show the boys their front page story and hope it raises some spirits. And raise spirits it does.

Katherine hasn’t been introduced to the lanky blond with the cigar – she’s barely been introduced to Davey and Jack – but she can tell he’s smart. He plays up his excitement, working the boys into a flurry of laughter and dance at the idea of being _famous_.

She eventually falls back to the sidelines after being whirled around a few times by the boys. Davey leans against the table where she’s sitting, and something feels different about him than when they’d met a few days ago.

“Is this the end, do you think?” Katherine asks.

Davey looks at her, calculating. “Is this Katherine the reporter asking, or –“

“How about Katherine the friend,” she replies, smiling. “Since it’s not like I’ll be doing any more reporting anytime soon.”

“Are we?”

“What?”

“Friends.”

Katherine reaches over to touch his hand where it’s gripping the table so tightly it probably hurts. “We could be.”

Davey sighs. “I have an idea. For what we should do next. But I can’t - I _can’t_ do this by myself. Nobody’s got half a clue where Jack is and we wouldn’t have anywhere to -“ he trails off, biting his lip.

“What?” Katherine asks almost reflexively.

“I want to hold a rally,” Davey says carefully. He shifts his grip on the table but doesn’t let go. “We get as many newsies together as possible – and it’ll be more than just us, because I got word from Spot Conlon that Brooklyn’s behind us now – after workin’ hours, and we take a citywide vote. Make a unified plan. We’re a _union_ after all.”

She doesn’t think she’s imagining the slight bitterness in his voice when he says the word union.

“That’s a good idea,” says Katherine. She brushes her fingertips against his knuckles again. “But you need Jack?”

Davey nods, taking a deep breath in and out before he speaks again. “I need Jack. I’m not – you can say whatever you want about me being the voice of our generation, Kath, I can’t stand up in front of everyone and get them to listen.”

“So we find Jack,” Katherine says. She has this feeling that he probably _could_ lead the newsies on his own, but just as strong a feeling that he would hate it. She stands up, turning to face Davey fully. “Any ideas?”

“One,” replies Davey. “It just came to me. And it may be a place for the rally. Can you keep an eye on Les for me, just for a little while? Not that I don’t trust Race –“ he pauses, watching Les play with the blond who’d so masterfully distracted the others earlier, “- but I’d prefer to know he’s with you.”

Katherine laughs. “Alright.”

He picks up the copy of the Sun that had been abandoned on the table. “And Kath?”

“What?”

“It’s a good article.” Davey grins. “I wasn’t joking, earlier. This could be big for you.”

“If I can ever get published again,” replies Katherine. She regrets it as soon as she says it, if only because of how Davey’s eyebrows crinkle together at the words. God, this boy doesn’t need any more stress than he’s already been given.

He reaches for her with his free hand, before stopping short and letting his arm fall awkwardly back to his side. “You will.”

“Thanks,” Katherine says, because she can’t think of anything else _to_ say.

Davey smiles at her, not the same blinding grin as a few moments ago but something smaller and a little more personal. Davey’s smile doesn’t make Katherine’s heart skip beats the way the brief smiles she’d gotten from Jack had, but it warms her a little. He gives a little wave before turning on his heel and leaving to go looking for Jack.

A few of the other boys stop what they’re doing as he leaves. Katherine wonders if Davey even noticed their attention. Les wriggles out of the blond boy’s – Race’s? – hold and takes a few steps toward the door, then looks back over at Katherine.

“What’d you do?” he says, a little accusatory. “Where’s he going?”

Katherine laughs. “He had an idea for what your next move should be, a rally with all the newsies. He’s gone looking for Jack, and maybe to somewhere that could host the event? The way he said it, it seemed like they might be the same place.”

“Oh,” says Les, “ _I_ know where he’s going.”

He crosses the room to her, takes her by the hand, and pulls her out the door after Davey.

\--

Katherine is not afraid of her father.

Not personally, anyway.

She _is_ deeply afraid for Jack.

It’s made all the worse for the fact that Jack may never trust her again, never mind that she’d never lied about her intentions or motivation. Never mind that she cares about him, about Davey and Les, about the other newsboys. None of that matters anymore.

As soon as she can, she all but runs to the theatre. She’s dying to catch Davey by the hand and pull him aside and tell him what’s happened, tell him her own truth before it can get spat at him by Jack, tell him that she doesn’t know where Jack is but he might be hurt and it’s partially her own fault.

But she can’t.

They’ve already started when she arrives. So she climbs quietly to a box that seems to be unoccupied and watches.

Davey stands onstage, off to one side and speaking in a low voice with Medda Larkin. She shakes her head and gestures toward center stage, and whatever she says makes Davey go stiff for a moment before taking a very deep breath and calling everyone to attention.

For a moment, Katherine allows herself to be surprised that _that_ is Spot Conlon. Of course he’s young – all the newsies are young, it’s a children’s profession – but with the way all the local boys had talked about him and the other Brooklynites you’d think he’d be twelve feet tall. He’s probably fourteen or fifteen, and barely stands to Davey’s shoulder. But his presence more than makes up for his stature.

It’s fascinating to watch. She’s taking frantic notes.

And then Jack is there, and he’s shockingly whole.

At least it seems like he is, until he starts to speak.

Katherine is out the door before he’s even finished, ducking into the main theatre space to find a newsie she recognizes. He’s got glasses, she knows someone mentioned his name, it’s one of the obvious ones, why can’t she remember his -

“Specs, where would Jack go from here?”

“Roof of the lodging house,” Specs says, even as onstage Spot Conlon is throwing a punch and Jack is making a break for the wings, where Katherine knows someone is waiting with her father’s money for him. “Take the fire escape up.”

“Thank you,” she says, already leaving, “thank you!”

\--

Katherine presses a finger to Jack’s lips, quieting him. “You’re going to march yourself down to the Jacobs’ residence, knock on their door, and explain yourself.”

Jack pulls her arm away from his face, stepping back. “It ain’t that easy. He ain’t never gonna trust me again.”

“You broke his –“ _heart – “_ his trust,” she says, trying to put a soft smile back onto her face. She’s had her chance to sort things with Jack now, but Davey – Davey’s got to be a mess. “But if I know anything about Davey Jacobs, it’s that right now he’s desperate for there to have been a reason beside the money. I know I was.”

\--

Two days later, Katherine sits down for lunch with Jack and Davey and Les and it feels almost unreal.

Les is chattering away about this morning’s sales and Davey is eating in complete silence, being watched intently by Jack. Something about the whole thing seems very, very fragile.

Jack had decided to stay in New York. That’s great, amazing even, and Katherine had promised him she’d be with him wherever he went but she has no idea what that’ll even mean in practice. Will he even still _want_ her around in a few days? All she knows for sure is that she’s not the only thing keeping him here. No, he has family here, Crutchie and the other boys.

Not to mention Davey.

Davey looks raw and sad and bone deep tired. It doesn’t escape Katherine’s notice that Jack’s eyes haven’t wavered from the other boy’s face since they sat down. He’s not _not_ being attentive to her, exactly, his fingers are tangled with hers on his knee, and his thumb is brushing against her knuckles, and he’s definitely listening to what she says, and yet –

He’s not looking at her.

Katherine can’t even fault him for the level of attention he’s paying Davey. Davey looks like six kinds of mess and an awful lot like he’ll fall over at the first breeze that blows through. She’s more than a little worried about him herself, so she can’t even imagine how Jack must be feeling. They’re clearly very close, close enough that Jack caught Davey up in his revolution without a second thought.

“How long have you three known each other?” she says, suddenly curious.

“Well, I’ve known Les for nine and a half years,” Davey answers, deadpan. It’s the first he’s spoken since they arrived.

It’s a somewhat reassuring response; he can’t be feeling that terribly if he’s still got energy to be snarky.

Jack’s laugh is bright and sharp and clearly a sound of shock as much as amusement. “Y’know, Davey, I have a feelin’ she was askin’ about when the two’a you met _me_.”

“Oh, no, really?” says Davey. He gives Katherine a look that says _can you believe him_ so clearly she’s almost surprised to realize he didn’t say it out loud.

“Yes, Jack, I meant when did _you_ meet the Jacobs boys,” Katherine says, and she can hear the laugh in her own voice as she speaks.

“Bout a week ago?” Jack answers, shrugging. “Not sure, though. Last couple’a days all feel like they took about six weeks.”

“A week?” repeats Katherine. She’s shocked. Completely and utterly – she’d been convinced they’d grown up together.

“Less,” Davey says, picking at his food. “Jack started the strike on our second day as newsies.”

“You’re a trouble maker, David Jacobs,” Katherine says, laughing again. “Organizing unions and starting strikes on your second day on the job!”

“Jack started the strike,” repeats Davey.

“And you _organized_ the strike,” Jack says. “Don’t sell yourself short, Davey.”

“I’m selling nothing, Jackie,” says Davey, “short or otherwise.”

“Okay, no, I’m sorry, can we go back to the part where the two of you have known each other as long as you’ve known _me_?” says Katherine.

“What about me?” Les pipes in.

“You too, Les,” Jack and Katherine say at the same time. It coaxes a tiny smile from Davey, which Katherine’s counting as a win.

“You know how _he_ is,” Davey says to her, nodding at Jack. She grins at him, nodding in agreement. Lord help her, she knows how Jack is. “Sweeps in all ‘be my selling partners, your brother looks corruptible’ and the next thing I know, I’m standing in front of all the Manhattan newsies making half a speech! _Me!”_

Les snorts. “I’m not corruptible. Medda says I’m a born actor.”

“Half a speech?” Katherine prompts. Jack is shaking with silent laughter, and Davey finally looks something close to relaxed.

“Jackie gave the other half,” says Davey. “The loud half.” He pauses, having apparently noticed Jack’s intent gaze. “Jack?”

Jack’s eyes flick from Davey to Les for half a second. “Davey –“

“Jack,” Davey says, brow furrowing.

“They do this,” Les says to Katherine, elbowing his brother. “Just e’sclude everybody else from their conversations sometimes.”

“I’ve seen them do it before,” replies Katherine. “It’s awfully cute.”

“More like _annoying_ ,” says Les, rolling his eyes. He starts back in on his lunch, which had been going cold while he told them a story before, completely unaware of the way his brother had stiffened up at Katherine’s comment.

She knows Jack noticed, though, because his fingers tighten on hers under the table.

Katherine has picked up on Jack’s odd balancing act – he’s concerned about Davey, had told her as much this morning, but doesn’t want to let on to Les. She admires the effort, knowing both that Jack is surprisingly considerate of the smaller children in their ranks and that Davey wants as few people as possible worrying about him. Davey has gone back to his still silence from before.

They part ways for the afternoon, but not before Jack pulls Katherine to one side for a moment while the brothers spoke in low voices a few feet away.

“Come up to the rooftop tonight?”

“I’ll be there.”

\--

She doesn’t know what she’s expecting when she climbs the fire escape that night, but Davey Jacobs standing at the edge of the roof staring up at the moon isn’t it.

“Hey, Davey,” she says. “You know where Jack is?”

He just about jumps out of his skin. “Katherine!”

“Davey,” Katherine replies, smiling. “Jack?”

“Inside,” Davey says with a vague wave toward the building below them. “Getting something, I think?”

“You’re usually a lot more verbal than this, Dave,” Katherine says carefully. “You feeling alright?”

“You know, Jack’s asked me that about a hundred times today?” says Davey.

“He’s worried about you.” She crosses the roof to close the distance between them, until she’s standing just two feet away. “I’m a little worried myself.”

“God, _why_?” Davey asks, running his hands through his hair. “You two could be – should be celebrating the victory together, instead you’re worrying about your friend who’s too stupid to keep his breakdown to himself?”

“Are you _having_ a breakdown?”

“Jack seems to think so.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know.”

Katherine doesn’t know how to respond to that, really. She just catches one of his hands in hers and squeezes it. And that, apparently, is enough to trigger the rest of whatever he’s been holding back all day, because before she knows it he’s dissolved into tears. She pulls him in, because what else _can_ she do, and he melts into the hug.

He’s shaking. She doesn’t know how long they stand there; it doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

“Davey? Kath?” Jack’s voice is soft, but it’s enough to break the moment.

Davey takes a sharp step back, away from Katherine, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “I should be going.”

“David –“

“Thank you, Katherine,” he interrupts. “I’m sorry for – _that_. But thank you.”

And then he’s gone.

Jack walks to Katherine, hands coming to rest on her waist. They’re not looking at each other, both watching the place where they’d just watched Davey climb down instead. “He talk to you?”

“No,” says Katherine. “Not really.”

“Tomorrow, then,” Jack says, more to himself than to Katherine. He turns, finally, to look right at her. “Tonight, though. You got time to spend with me tonight?”

“All the time in the world, Jack Kelly,” Katherine replies with a smile. It isn’t quite true; she has work to do tonight, she’s expected home in reasonable time, she shouldn’t be _seen_ alone with a boy like this, never mind that there’s no one to do the seeing. But for now, she can pretend it’s true. She can let fears about whatever’s wrong with Davey fall to the side, can worry about work and propriety later. Just now, she’s in Jack’s arms and she’s happy to stay there.

The rest of the world can wait.


End file.
